Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France, the Belgium Ardennes, the Garden of England and Vermont, USA

Guest Blog: Day 1: Arrival in the Perigord

A visit to Oradour-sur-Glane & the Château de Losse

Three of us had met our hosts, Steve & Steve, at the hotel in Limoges the night before and had got to know one another a little over a splendid dinner. We were all set for a nine-day canoe tour of the Perigord and Lot regions of France featuring 2 days on the Vézère river, 2 days on the Célé and then 3 days on the Dordogne. First of all we had to wait for the arrival of two further guests at Limoges Station at about midday: they were taking the train down from Paris.

After breakfast at the hotel the three guests already here, Cheryl, Paul & Patty, packed into the minibus and we drove the short distance out of town to visit the infamous site of Oradour-sur-Glane. “On 10 June 1944, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne in then Nazi-occupied France was destroyed, when 642 of its inhabitants, including women and children, were massacred by a Nazi Waffen-SS company. A new village was built nearby after the war, but French president Charles de Gaulle ordered the original maintained as a permanent memorial and museum.“

Naturally it is a sober and thought provoking place to visit.

Twisted bed frames and ovens at Oradour-sur-Glane

After a coffee on the Railway Station concourse we met Marlee and Annie off the Paris train and soon we were on our way south for the drive to Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère. It took about 90 minutes.

Marlee and Annie arrive at Limoge station with Steve the porter!

On arrival we drove straight up the hill to our lodgings at the Relais de la Côte de Jor. Our host, Roland, wasn’t in, but he had left us the keys so that we could assign everyone their rooms and get the luggage unloaded. We would be here for the first two nights.

View from my room to the pool at the Relais de la Côte de Jor

We were then ready for a late lunch which we took on a patio table outside as the sun began to break through. It did not take long for a typical French repast to be set out. Nor to be demolished either!

Picnic lunch at the Relais de la Côte de Jor. We are hungry!

After that we still had time to do something and so decided to visit the Château de Losse. “The medieval fortress overlooks the Vézère river. In 1575 a Renaissance Hall was built within the stronghold. It is enclosed by curtain walls and surrounded by a deep ditch. Inside the fine décor and the exceptional period furnishings bear witness to the grand lifestyle of the Marquess of Jean II de Losse in the 16th century.“

A view of the Vézère river from the Château de Losse

In the evening we walked down the hill (or some of us did – admiring some wild orchids along the way) to the centre of the village where we found the lovely Restaurant de la Poste. We had a splendid introductory meal for the whole team as we began to get to know one another.

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About Green River CAnoes

Green River Canoes Ltd runs Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France and the Belgium Ardennes.
These holidays are in the Ardennes, Perigord, Lot, Dordogne, Ardeche and Tarn regions with beautiful easy rivers, fabulous scenery, relaxing accommodation and lovely food and wine.